


Dandelion Bud

by awtuscany



Series: Momva (Mom Ava) AU [1]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ava is Sora's mother, Ava is The Master of Master's daughter, Ava is a good parent, Badass Ava, Flashbacks, Gen, He sucks, Memory Loss, Nicknames, The Master of Masters is not a good parent, Xigbar|Luxu isn't really in this either, it doesn't come up much, just ava's memories of them, just memories, no beta we die like men, some big and some small, story will not follow KH1 perfectly, the foretellers aren't really in this, there will be changes here and there
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-11
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2020-12-09 06:21:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20990252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awtuscany/pseuds/awtuscany
Summary: Ava's been living a peaceful life with her son Sora. Sure she can't remember anything about her past beyond waking up on the islands, pregnant and alone, but that's life.When Darkness rips apart her peaceful life, her memories come flooding back. Now she has to find her son and his friends before it's too late.





	1. Chapter 1

###  Chapter One

Ava is falling. It's a strange feeling, falling down and down and down. She lands on her feet. It's a surprisingly soft landing. She watches, eyes wide, as dandelion seeds fly around her. She glances down and realizes she's standing on a stained glass panel of some kind. She looks over it in slight amazement. It's beautiful. The glass is mostly red, except for the sleeping man depicted on it. He's clothed in white robes, accented in gold and light purple. He appears to be asleep, eyes closed, his silvery-blue hair falls down past his shoulders, in one hand he holds a strange key-shaped sword and the other hand rests on a unicorn mask in his lap.

There are circles on the outside of the circle, each with a stylized unicorn inside it. Ava frowns, looking at the unicorns and the man. It's all very familiar to Ava but she can't place why. Behind the man and slightly below him is an image of a beautiful town. A town Ava feels happy upon seeing the town, looking at the town makes Ava feel like she's coming home. The name of the two in on the tip of her tongue but she can't remember. She shakes her head, shaking the feeling away as she looks next to the man where there are more circles. There are people inside these circles. 6 people to be exact. Two men in black coats, a woman in a snake mask, a man in a bear mask, a man in a leopard mask, and a woman in a fox mask.

Ava stares down at the people. She feels like she should know them, she should recognize them, that they're important to her. As important as her son. But she just can't.

She wants to remember, standing on this glass panel, seeing these people, seeing <strike>Ira</strike> seeing the man on this glass panel, she feels angry at herself. Angry for forgetting them. Angry at herself for failing them. Angry at them for failing... She doesn't know what they failed at. She just feels like they did fail. It's a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she can't escape from even as she paces around the glass panel, looking at the people depicted in it with confusion.

There's something about all of this. Something about everything that she's seeing here, from the people to the unicorn, to the town. It's all so achingly familiar. Almost like a dream, she's forgotten to remember.

"Little Fox," a voice calls out, echoing all around. Ava freezes, her blood runs cold and yet... She feels her body relax as the voice seems to wrap around her. It too is familiar. "Little Fox, you've forgotten so much... There's time yet to remember. Your power sleeps and when you remember it, it will awaken..."

"Who are you," Ava calls as she looks around. There's no one here with her. It's only her and the images on the cold unforgiving glass.

"You have to remember that," the voice replies. "I can't just tell you...There's so much to do but we should have more than enough time."

In the center of the panel a giant key... 'A keyblade,' she thinks, although she isn't sure how she would know such a thing, appears. It's pink, white, and gold and somehow she feels completely drawn to it. Almost compelled to go over to it. So she does.

She walks right over to it and picks it up, feeling how the weight feels in her hands. It fits perfectly in her hands and it's perfectly balanced as she holds it. It's almost as if it was made especially for her. She smiles softly as she looks it over. She feels... Content. It's almost as pleasant of a feeling as holding her son for the first time was. After a moment of her admiring the Keyblade, it disappears, startling Ava. She stumbles and is unable to catch herself as unexpectedly the glass panel falls away beneath her. She's falling again, tumbling in the air as she falls down, down, down to places unknown. She lands on her back on another panel, sitting up she groans softly.

"You've reclaimed the keyblade," the voice says suddenly. "Who's power sleeps inside of you... It will come to you when you need it most. Any danger that you experience, any enemy you encounter, the keyblade will be your companion in fighting them off."

"Danger... Enemy," Ava questions as she looks around the new panel.

It's a young woman this time. She, like the man, appears to be asleep, a keyblade rests across her lap. One hand is dangling next to her with a snake mask enclosed in it. A small sliver of purple hair is visible through the hood and scarf she wears, covering most of her hair as well as her mouth. Snakes sit where unicorns once did, the glass itself is grey and the purple and blue of the woman's robes stand out against it.

Ava's eyes are immediately drawn to the town, once again depicted on the glass. Then her eyes wander to the people, the two hooded figures, <strike> Ira </strike> the unicorn masked man, the bear masked man, the leopard masked man, and the woman in the fox mask. Ava swears she knows their names, which sit, on the tip of her tongue just out of reach.

"You will face many dangers and enemies on the road to come," the voice answers. "You will have to defend yourself."

Ava frowns, not at the man's words but at how still the woman in the glass is. She looks like she's sleeping peacefully. Ava fidgets. This isn't right. She should be filled with life, she should be able to capture the attention of hundreds just with her soft and commanding voice. A tear runs down Ava's face... Why is she crying? There's something just not right about this situation. With <strike> Invi </strike> the woman in the snake mask, being so still and silent.

"Why," Ava asks. "Why me?"

She doesn't know what she means by the question. She knows she isn't asking why she has to take this journey. She doesn't care about that. She only cares about the people on the stained glass panel.

"Because you are the hope that keeps the light alive," the voice answers. "Do you remember Ava? Do you remember what if feels like to use magic? Can you do it for me? For her? Defeat the darkness, Ava."

The monsters appear. Small bug-like things made of living shadows with bright gold eyes that make Ava's skin crawl. She has no idea what she's doing but her keyblade appears suddenly in her hands as the monsters- the heartless, come closer. One of the shadow heartless attacks and then they all do. Their claws raking against Ava's skin, their gold eyes staring her down as they attempt to destroy her. No!

The fireball erupts from the end of her keyblade, it hits one of the shadows, and just like that, the shadow disappears. Ava knows, somehow, that she just used Fira. Ava remembers. Magic flows through her and although she does not remember where she learned to use it, she remembers how to. The rest of the shadows aren't a problem once she remembers how to use her magic. They fall to Fira after Fira cast from Ava's blade. As soon as the last shadow falls she feels tired like it would be a bad idea to attempt to use more magic. She doesn't know if she'll have to. Her keyblade disappears again, as she no longer needs it. So the panel is empty now, just her and the images of the <strike> friends </strike> strangers she feels so connected to.

The voice is gone for now and Ava takes a moment to walk a lap around the glass, taking in each image with her mind, trying to commit them to memory. She hates herself for forgetting but she can't remember if she forgot. Across the panel, a staircase appears and Ava knows that she has to move on. She can't stay here forever, that much she is sure of. She takes a breath and runs to the stairs, hurrying up the stairs as quickly as she can. She pauses halfway up, looking down at the panel of glass she is leaving. Another tear runs down her face, but once again she has no idea why she's crying. She wants to stop, to curl up and cry and beg for forgiveness. She doesn't know why she needs to be forgiven.

"You can't rest you," the voice says suddenly. "There isn't much time and there's still much to do, Little Fox. You'll understand soon. Soon you will remember everything."

"I... I don't think I want to remember," Ava answers even as she starts walking up the stairs again. She isn't sure she wants to remember whatever it is that the voice is keeping from her. A heavy sense of dread has settled into her chest as she walks up the stairs, slowly, glancing back down even as <strike> Invi </strike> the woman grows farther and farther away until Ava can no longer see her.

The panel she steps onto is blue. The man with the bear mask is asleep, depicted in the delicate and beautiful glass. Somehow Ava feels like this isn't someone the word 'Delicate' could describe at all. He does look intimidating. His short red hair standing out against the blue of his panel, his keyblade in his lap, large and more terrifying than the others she's seen. The keyblade is in his lap and on top of the keyblade is his bear mask. His hands rest on top of the mask. Ava sighs softly as she takes a look around the glass panel. It's just like the other two she's seen. Stylized bears around the outside, the beautiful town depicted, and the people, <strike> Ira </strike> unicorn, <strike>Invi</strike>snake, leopard, fox, and two hooded figures, are there just as with the others. Ava stands directly over the fox masked woman as she looks out across the glass panel, wondering quietly to herself what was going to happen now. She takes a deep breath.

"You can't always rely on magic," the voice says suddenly, causing Ava to jump. The heartless are back, their yellow eyes seem to stare right into Ava's heart as her keyblade appears in her hand once again. "Use the keyblade to fight with your strength."

Ava tries to summon forth her magic as she did before but nothing happens, she feels drained... Somehow she knows that she has to let her magic rest. She lashes out with the keyblade. It connects with one the shadows, sending it stumbling backward. Ava takes a breath, sinking into a comfortable position to hold the keyblade and attack from. The stance she takes feels good. Familiar. She hits the same heartless again. There's no skill behind her swing, just raw strength and the determination to survive. She has a son to get back to, she's not going to let these heartless take her down before she can get back to her son. She's not going to let these heartless make her son an orphan. Her keyblade comes down on the heartless with all of her strength and it burst into shadows, disappearing back into the darkness from whence it came. A different shadow heartless darts forward, its claws tearing at Ava's legs and she cries out before twisting and hitting it with her keyblade.

The heartless close in, moving to overwhelm her with numbers. She breathes and lets her body move as it wants to, jump right over the heartless and then twisting in the air so she lands facing them. Her keyblade strikes, with power and precision this time, against a shadow heartless and it disappears back into the darkness.

'Where in the world did I learn to fight like this,' she asks herself as she rolls out of the way of another attack. The shadows continue their assault but Ava's getting better and better as she fights.

"You can and should defend yourself," the voice says suddenly. "The keyblade can be used for defense as much as it can be used for offense."

Ava isn't sure what the voice means by that but it does make sense. A weapon can be used to block attacks of other weapons... Or so she's been told. She stays still as a shadow heartless comes rushing forward and without thinking lets her body move. It blocks the blow with the keyblade and then she moves, fluid and quick, attacking the heartless before it can recover from her blocking its blow. The keyblade cuts through its body like a knife through butter and Ava wonders briefly if the heartless feel pain. She doubts it. Without a second thought, she cuts through the next heartless, watching in satisfaction as it burst into nothingness and another from the swarm move to take its place.

She takes a breath, steadying herself before launching her body forward, throwing her whole body into the attack. She hits two heartless at once and then changes directions quickly to avoid an attack. She knows somehow that <strike> Aced </strike> the man on the glass panel, would be proud of her for her fierce attacks. She isn't sure how she knows such a thing or why she feels like he would ask her why she's been holding back in battle, but somehow... She just knows he would. Ava isn't holding back now. The small weak heartless disappear with just one blow, returning to darkness. As the last of the heartless fall under her blows, she realizes how tired she is.

Her body is heavy and her wounds hurt. Her keyblade disappears and she finds herself longing for something to take away the pain and exhaustion that's creeping into her bones as she breaths deeply, trying to calm herself. She wants this to end. Whatever this is she wants it to be over and done with, she's had enough of whatever sick game that is being played. She wants to go home to her son and live the rest of her peaceful life on the islands where she's been raising him. She doesn't want any of this. She doesn't want any of what this entails.

"I don't want this," Ava screams into the nothingness that surrounds the panel she's standing on. "I just want to go home!"

"You're the hope that keeps the light alive Little Fox," the voice answers. "Your purpose hasn't been fulfilled. There's still so much to do and so little time yet to do it. Your memories will return and you will understand the truth soon enough but first..." Another staircase appears. "There's more to be done here."

Ava feels like screaming in frustration as she moves towards the staircase. She hesitates a moment and then starts walking up them, slowly but surely one stair at a time up. She doesn't pause to look down at <strike>Aced</strike>the man's glass panel. She just keeps walking. She doesn't want to remember, she doesn't want to be some hero, she just wants to go home. She's done enough harm as it is and she isn't sure that remembering what she did is going to be a good thing in the long run. She knows she did something, that much she's sure of now. She did something and something terrible happened as a result of it. She knows that much even if she can't remember the details. She knows that she knows the people who she's seeing. She knows they're important to her even if their names are just out of reach in her mind and she can't remember where they meet or who they were to her.

She knows they'd be disappointed in her if they knew what she had done. She knows she feels guilty when she looks at them like it's her fault that they aren't here with her. Like she's the reason they're just images on glass that she can't remember the names of. She isn't sure if these things she knows are real or not. She doesn't remember enough to know. It's a horrible feeling really. Like she's woken up from a nightmare and she can still feel the terror running through her veins but the reason she's so scared has already faded from her mind. She doesn't want to think about it either. She wants to go back to not knowing anything instead of this vague knowing of something but not everything. She wants to scream.

She reaches the next panel. She gasps softly at the sight. It's just like the others, green glass this time, the man in the leopard mask- Gula? She thinks that's his name.

"Why do I remember your name," Ava whispers as she walks to the very center of the glass panel, staring down at Gula's sleeping face. She knows he has one blue eye and one green eye, even though his eyes are shut as he sleeps peacefully. She knows that his messy dirty blonde hair, almost brown but not really, shown so perfectly in this image, is extremely close to her son's. She knows that she loves him. She doesn't know anything else. She wants to. If it means remembering everything about Gula... Then getting her memories back would be worth it.

"You don't have time to rest," the voice says suddenly, causing Ava to jump and look around.

There's... A door? She doesn't know when that got there but there it is. "Go through the door..."

Ava frowns, glancing back down at Gula she sighs. She smiles softly down at him and then turns her attention to the door. She walks towards it with confident footsteps. She hesitates a moment, her hand hovering in the air in front of it. All she has to do is go through it, or so she thinks. She glances back again, back at Gula, and bites her lip, uncertainty flowing through her. She shakes her head and opens the door.


	2. Chapter Two

### Chapter Two

The door opens into a plaza with a fountain, flowing freely and the sun shining above. Ava blinks, her eyes wide as she looks around... Is this... <strike>Daybreak Town</strike>... The town in the glass panels she kept seeing? She thinks it might be. Her heart clenches painfully, this place is so familiar, she walks over to the fountain, sitting down on the side and looking up at the shining sun. This... This somewhere she's been before she knows it. Is this... Home? Is this the place she came from before her memories were lost and she washed ashore at the Destiny Islands? She can't be sure.

She stands, wandering through the town she comes across the walkway that leads to the gardens, how she knows this walkway, overlooking the waterway, leads to the gardens she isn't sure how she knows. She just knows that it does. She sees <strike> Invi </strike> the woman in the snake mask as soon as she steps onto the walkway. She's standing, looking out across the water, seemingly unaware of Ava's presence. Ava gulps but musters up all of her courage as she walks over to her.

"Hello?"

"What do you want out of life," <strike> Invi </strike> the snake mask woman asks. She's looking at Ava but to Ava, it feels as if <strike> Invi </strike> the woman is looking through her. As if there's no point in lying to <strike> Invi </strike> this woman. Ava feels like she talked to <strike> Invi </strike> the woman a lot. That they spent a lot of time on this bridge talking to each other about things they couldn't talk to anyone else about.

"I want to make up for my mistakes," Ava says immediately, although she doesn't remember what those mistakes were she wants to fix them. She wants to atone. "I want to atone."

"Atonement," Invi the snake masked woman echoes. "That's a wonderful thing to strive for." She turns back to look out across the water.

Ava blinks and the woman is gone. A strange sinking feeling settles in Ava's chest as she continues across the walkway, she sees the stairs, which would lead down to the gardens, although how she knows that she isn't sure, and she sees the lighthouse at the end of the walkway. She pauses but then turns towards the gardens, wondering unsure through them until she comes across the market place. She doesn't know where she's going exactly but she knows she's going somewhere and that where she's going is important. She keeps walking, wandering into a small warehouse where <strike> Aced </strike> the bear masked man stands, looking out the window. Ava hesitates, wringing her hands as she glances around the room, wondering if she should just leave him be. In the end, she sighs and walks up to him, clearing her throat. He turns, the gold eyes of his mask seem to look straight into Ava's heart and soul.

"What is it that you're so afraid of," he asks, calm and collected. His face is almost completely covered but Ava feels as though she's being judged by <strike> Aced </strike> the man in the bear mask.

Ava opens her mouth, then closes it again. She shifts from foot to foot, looking at the man, looking around at the warehouse the man is in. The question echoing inside her mind.

"I-I'm afraid of the past," Ava answers slowly, uncertain at first but then sure of her answer as soon as it leaves her mouth. "I'm afraid of the past repeating itself," she elaborates.

"I see," <strike> Aced </strike> the man says with a nod, turning to look back out the window. "The past repeating itself... That's truly something to fear."

"What's going on here," Ava tries to ask him but just as <strike> Invi </strike> the snake masked woman, <strike> Aced </strike> the bear masked man disappears in front of her eyes.

Ava frowns, looking about the warehouse but there's nothing here. She doesn't know what to do, so she starts walking again. Heading out of the warehouse she walks aimlessly, coming across an alleyway, where, standing half-hidden behind some boxes is Gula. She doesn't hesitate as she did with the other two. She runs right to him, her heart hammering against her chest as she approaches.

"Gula," she shouts as she runs straight to him, he turns to look at her, smiling softly, lovingly, at her. She stops just shy of him, unsure if she should pull him into an embrace or not. He keeps smiling, if she could see his eyes she'd know how soft and loving they are.

"What's most important to you," Gula asks her, taking her hands in his and looking into her eyes. The mask hides his eyes but Ava can tell they are searching deep within her eyes for the answer to the question.

"My family," Ava answers. This is the easiest answer for her. She knows exactly what holds the most important place in her heart. Her bright shining light in her life. Her son. She would do anything for him and even now, even with Gula holding her hands and staring adoringly at her, she would give this up for her son.

"Family," Gula echoes, letting go of Ava's hands, his smile seems sad now. "That's beautiful, Ava."

His smile doesn't fade even as he does, the tears well up in Ava's eyes as the world grows so bright that she can't keep them open. When she does finally open them she's no longer in <strike> Daybreak Town </strike> the town she keeps seeing in the glass panels. She's on another glass panel, this one depicts one of the two hooded figures she keeps seeing. She frowns as she looks over the glass panel, the voice hasn't appeared yet so... She has time. The hooded figure's features are completely covered by the large black coat and hood, the only distinguishing feature Ava can see is the terrifying keyblade he holds perfectly at his side. It's held in such a way that it seems like the eye on the keyblade is watching Ava. It doesn't help that when she moves the eye seems to move with her. She's tempted to step on it, just so she doesn't have to see it anymore. She stares at the hooded figure.

"Luxu," she whispers, his name coming to her mind almost as quickly as Gula's did. She scowls and clenches her fists, tears run down her face as she glares at him. The scowl breaks and she collapses onto her knees, crying as she gazes upon Luxu's panel. "Why...?"

There's no answer, Ava wasn't expecting one, these panels can't talk and she isn't sure she'd get an answer even if she was talking to the real Luxu and not just a picture of him. She wipes away her tears furiously and forces herself to stand back up. She won't cry over him again, she's done that enough, she doesn't remember why she'd cried but she knows she did. She cried endlessly for a long time because of something Luxu did. She doesn't remember who Luxu is or what he did but she knows that it was... Horrible.

"Little Fox." The voice is back. Ava scowls.

"I'm not in the mood," she says. "I want to go home."

"We aren't done," the voice says coldly, a chill runs up Ava's spin as she summons her keyblade to her hand. "There's one more thing you need to do. Little Fox... So strong, so brave... You've done wonderfully protecting the light for all these years. Time is running out, the end is coming quicker than you'd think. You have to be ready... The darkness is close at hand."

There's a prickling feeling on the back of Ava's neck, she twirls around to see the monstrous heartless that is there. A long spiked tail, black and purple, with beady yellow eyes and chains wrapped around its four feet. Ava's eyes widen, this is not the weak shadows she's been fighting until this point. No this is a truly powerful foe, one she isn't sure she can take in her current state. The thought of leaving her son alone by himself in this world makes her grit her teeth and tighten her grip on the keyblade in her hands. Her hands turn white and a stab of pain runs through them as she glares up at the monstrous heartless that stands in her way.

"You're in my way," she shouts as she plunges headlong into battle. Her keyblade hits it across one of the legs. She jumps back. "Fira!"

The fireball flies at the beast as the beast roars in pain. It rushes forward. Ava rolls out of the way. It twists back around, tossing its head. Ava screams at it. It roars back. Its tail comes flying around from behind it. Ava jumps back but she's a moment to slow. The tail hits her across the chest, leaving a deep wound. Ava growls.

"Blizzaga," Ava calls, watching in satisfaction as the icy magic envelops the beastly heartless. This thing will not be taking her away from her son, not today.

She darts in. Her keyblade hits the thing's eye before she darts back. It roars again, sending dark balls of magic flying towards her. She blocks with her keyblade sending them flying back. They hit the beast causing it to roar in pain. She grits her teeth as she dodges out of the way of its tail. She's been hit by it once she's not going to make the same mistake again. She sends another fira hurling towards the beast just before it rushes her again. She doesn't make it out of the way this time. The heartless slams into her and she goes flying. She cries out in pain, landing on the very edge of the panel.

"Thundaga!"

She struggles to her feet as the lightning magic rains down from the sky, striking the monstrous heartless. Ava steadies herself, calling forth her magic. She's going to finish this. She isn't going to let this go on any longer, she has a son to get back to, a life to get back to, and whatever this is is not going to stand in her way any longer.

"Foxtrot!"

Magic swirls as the copies made entirely of light and featureless, appear around the heartless and with one quick movement they all strike. The beast roars, collapsing onto the panel and the fragile glass shatters under Ava's feet. A scream tears itself from her throat as the glass shards fly into the air, for a moment it's as if everything is floating, unmoving, and then the glass shards fall. Ava plummets. Darkness surrounds as she falls down, down, down, and then she bolts up right.

The sun is shining through the windows, she grabs at the blanket, pulling it closer to her body as she looks around. The nightmare is fading quickly but the fear lingers in the back of Ava's mind as she crawls out of bed, putting on her nightgown and traversing the house quickly. She quietly opens the door to her son's room, he's asleep still, his blanket tucked under his chin. Ava signs in relief. She goes to shut the door but her son's blue eyes open and he catches sight of her.

"Mom?"

"Morning, Sora," Ava answers quickly, "How did you sleep?"

"Okay I guess," Sora answers, glancing out his window.

"Today's the day you're going to finish the raft with Kairi and Riku right?"

"Yeah!"

"Then we'd better get you a good breakfast so you have all the energy you need for that!"

"Thanks, Mom!"

"Get dressed and come downstairs when you're ready," Ava says with a smile before shutting the door.

She walks down the stairs towards the kitchen, she pauses momentairily when she passes by the closed door in the hall to the way to the kitchen... Her husband's study. Shaking her head she presses forward. He's gone, lost to the sea, they told her. She wonders about that. She and Sora came from the sea when she washed up on the shore of these islands 14 years ago without any idea of where she came from or who she was aside from her name. The sea brought her and her husband together and a year ago it tore them apart.

Ava tries not to think about it too much as she cracks eggs into a hot pan in order to make breakfast. She's still got Sora. Even if he's going off on the raft... He's not going to get far but it'll be a good first adventure for him. A good adventure for him and his friends, nothing too terrible and they aren't going to get far with a raft. When they come back Ava will show them how to build a bigger boat, one they can go farther in. She's got the experience, her husband had showed her how to build boats. They worked together building the small boat Sora uses to get to the play islands every day.

She moves carefully, transferring the eggs onto a plate with some toast and fruit for Sora. She glances towards the stairs.

"Sora," she calls. "Don't wait too long! Your breakfast will get cold!"

"Okay," Sora's voice calls back.

Ava shakes her head fondly and places the plate on the table for her son. She puts a kettle on the stove to heat water for her morning tea. Soon enough the sound of footsteps hurrying down the stairs alerts Ava to the fact that Sora's finally come down for breakfast. She smiles turning to look at her son but for a moment it's not Sora she sees. Instead of brown hair that appears blonde when the sun hits it at just the right angel and eyes as blue as the sky, she sees dirty blond hair and mix-matched green and blue eyes. She blinks and just like that the image is gone and it's just her smiling son taking his seat at the breakfast table.

Ava moves about, cooking herself eggs as Sora eats his breakfast behind her at the table. The water comes to a boil and she pours it out into a mug with a tea bag already in place. A glance back at Sora reveals he's looking off into the distance.

"What's going through that mind of your's Little Cat," Ava asks as she sets her tea mug down on the table. She turns back around, putting her breakfast on a plate.

"I was just thinking," Sora says.

"Oh no," Ava says with mock shock. "Not thinking!"

"Mom!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. What were you thinking about?"

"Well, what if we find Kairi's home when we go off on the raft!"

"Well... Then you'd finally know where Kairi came from but it wouldn't change who Kairi is, she'd still be Kairi."

"What if she wants to stay there instead of coming back to the islands?"

"I don't think that would happen, she's got you and Riku after all!"

"What if... What if she has a family and they don't want her?"

Ava turns to face her son, he's frowning, playing with the food on his plate and it occurs to Ava that he's not talking about Kairi at all. She sighs.

"This isn't about Kairi is it," she asks gently, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What if we have a family out there," Sora asks. "And they already decided they don't want anything to do with us? What if they just don't care about us?"

A stab of pain goes through Ava's heart at the look Sora's giving her. He just wants to be accepted. She's sure he's longing for more family after losing his father.

"Well, that's their loss," Ava answers with a serious nod of her head. "We're doing just fine without them! We've got each other, we've got Riku and his family, and we've got Kairi and hers. If somewhere out there my family exists and they've already decided to wash their hands of us than who cares! We've got everything we could need right here!"

Sora smiles, it lights up his face and the pain in Ava's heart lessens at the sight of it. Even if she isn't sure she believes her own words as long as Sora believes it that's all she needs. She ruffles his hair before taking a bite of her own breakfast. The nightmare this morning was just that, a nightmare, there's no way it could be anything else. All that matters is the here and now, she can't change the past that she's forgotten and she can't predict the future, so she'll do what she can now, hope and plan for the best and everything will turn out alright.

"Remember," Ava says to Sora, "It's alright to feel emotions, even negative ones, but it's holding onto those emotions that leads to things going wrong."

Sora nods, still smiling he gets up from his place at the table, dumping his plate into the sink he turns back to Ava, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. Ava laughs softly, hugging him back. There's peace in this moment that unannounced to Ava or Sora will be one of the last peaceful moments they will get to share together. They do not know it yet but these moments of peace will be few and far between soon. Ava can feel it even if she's ignoring the feeling. Things are going to change soon and she isn't sure that the change is going to be for the better. Sora breaks the hug.

"I'm going to the play islands," he tells her as if she didn't already know.

"Be safe," she responds, waving at him as he runs out the door and down to the dock. A heavy feeling settles on her chest as soon as he's gone. It's like all her energy has drained out of her. She pushes her egg around her plate, appetite gone. "What is this feeling... Like something horrible is on the horizon... Something that's going to take everything from me."


	3. Chapter Three

###  Chapter Three

That evening when Sora returns from the Play Islands, Ava sits him down and looks him right in his eyes. He shifts under her gaze as she stares at him for a while. The air is tense as Ava tries to think of the best way to ask him her question without seeming totally crazy. She watches him for a moment then sighs, deciding the best thing to do was just ask him as directly as possible.

"Did anything strange happen on the Play Islands today?"

He blinks, "How did you know? I had this weird dream and then this weird old guy showed up and told me if I know nothing I can understand nothing," Sora explains. "I didn't think you'd believe me if I told you."

Ava sighs smiling softly at her son and patting his shoulder. "Sora you can trust me with anything," she says softly. "And I will always find reason to believe and side with you Sora. No matter what."

"I know it's just... So weird," Sora mutters. "The dream was so real and that old guy made no sense Mom."

"Sometimes things in life don't seem to make sense," Ava says softly, ruffling Sora's hair, "But we just have to make it through Little Dandelion."

"Mooom," Sora whines. "I'm too old for that nickname."

Ava laughs a bit, smiling softly at Sora. "You can go relax in your room. You're probably tired from your day collecting things for your voyage. I'll call you down when dinner is ready."

"Alright," Sora says, running up to his room.

Ava sighs, going about cooking dinner, keeping an eye on what looks like a brewing storm outside. She'd have to tell Sora they need to go bring his boat in before the storm has a chance to blow it away. Something feels different about this storm, it gets darker as the storm grows closer, a dark that feels familiar in a terrifying way to Ava even if she can't actually remember why it feels so terrifying. Ava keeps an eye on the storm as she makes dinner. Shivering a little from the sudden cold. The storm must have brought it. She plates dinner, putting it on the table.

"Sora? Dinner is ready! Sora?"

There's no answer and Ava frowns, heading upstairs to check on her son. His room is empty, his window is open and the storm Ava has been keeping an eye on is right over the Play Islands. It doesn't take long for Ava to piece together what her brave and idiotic son must have decided to do. She rushes downstairs, pulling on her raincoat and boots she hurries outside. If she hurries she can make it to the play islands before the waves get too hard to navigate. From there they'd have to find shelter from the storm on the island because the waves would be too big for them to reasonably row back without something terrible happening.

She steps out into the beginning of the storm. The wind is blowing so hard she can barely walk forward, she sees a light bobbing nearby and soon enough Riku's Father is in sight.

"Ava?"

"Yes! I think Sora went to the play islands, Riku too I'm guessing?"

"I think so," his Father yells back to her. "Come on, if we work together we can still get them home before things get any worse."

"Right," Ava yells back, walking side by side with him against the blowing wind. A quick glance at the ocean shows that the waves still aren't too big to navigate. Ava sighs in relief at this fact as they continue to try and make their way to the boats to get across the sea to the play island. They're about half way there when the creatures from Ava's nightmare begin appearing. Ava tenses for a moment, was she dreaming again? But the Riku's Father screams as the creatures try to swarm him and she's jolted out of her thoughts.

She grabs the nearest thing she can get her hands on, a heavy branch broken off one of the trees in the storm and hits the creature as hard as she can with it. It disappears for a moment before it either comes back or another takes its place. Ava isn't sure which one happened but there's another there just as fast as she destroyed the first one. She growls slightly, swinging with all her might.

"You're. In. My. Way," she screams, as she hits the heartless... How did she know that's what they were called? It doesn't matter. She hits the heartless one after the other after the other. Soon enough she's cleared the area around her and Riku's dad. At least for the time being.

"Ava..."

"Thank me later," Ava says, holding her now, mostly broken branch. "And pick up a weapon."

"Ava you're using a three branch!"

"And? Did it do the job or not? Now if more of those creatures come are you going to be a help or a burden?"

He looks at Ava, eyes wide, then scoffs a bit, shaking his head and muttering to himself as he looks around and finds a stay ore. "Alright, well if you can fend them off with a stick I don't see how they could be too hard to get rid of."

Ava laughs a bit, shaking her head for a moment before nodding and continuing to fight against the coming storm. It's growing even darker now, colder, and Ava shivers. It's only then she realizes despite being pelted with rain and wind, Riku's Father isn't shivering as much as she is. As if he can't feel the freezing cold all around them. That's when it hits her that he can't feel the freezing cold all around them like she can. He doesn't feel the Darkness as it attacks the warm light of their island home. She suddenly feels an overwhelming pressure. She's the one who can feel this. She's the one who had the dream. She's responsible somehow. She doesn't know how, but somehow she knows she's the one meant to defend their home.

'You'll fail,' a voice whispers to her. 'It doesn't matter what you try, you'll fail. This is inevitable Ava. Can you accept such a truth?'

She bites her lip and shakes her head. Riku's father looks at her in concern. She blinks, realizing she still had her friend to look after during all of this. She offers him a smile and uses her branch to hit a heartless that tries to sneak up behind him.

"We're almost to the docks," he calls, taking a moment of shelter behind some rocks. "Just a little further! We can make it!"

Ava glances back, it's as if the storm has consumed everything in darkness behind her, as if the world was being eaten. A glance up and Ava realizes that's precisely what was happening! The storm was eating the island. Slowly, heading towards the play islands. Ava won't allow herself to be swallowed into the nothingness up there. She just wouldn't. No way that was happening. She continues her struggle against the wind, she glances over and sees Riku's father lose his footing, falling and starting to get dragged away.

Not on her watch!

She rushes over. Digging her branch into the dirt she grabs his hand. The storm is trying to pull him up. Pulling. She pulls back. Digging her feet into the ground as best as she can. Their eyes meet for a moment before the branch and the earth itself is dragged up into the gaping black hole above them. The sound of wind rushing by fills Ava's sense. Then silence. Darkness. Nothing. It's hard to breath as she feels herself floating, emptiness rushing in.

'Was this what it was like to die?,' she wonders to herself. She closes her eyes. '...Sora... I'm sorry I won't be there for you...'

A memory comes rushing to the surface, eyes, as blue as Sora's but on a different face. A face Ava knows she knows.

"Come on Avs," the person she can't seem to remember teases. "You aren't going to give up just yet are you?"

'I'm sorry Gula,' she thinks to them. 'I don't know what else to do.'

She jerks back as she realizes what she just thought. What she just remembered. Gula! Her beloved. How could she ever have forgotten him! The rest of her memories come rushing back. Ira. Invi. Aced. Luxu. The Master! All of it comes back in a wave and Ava feels... Something. Something she can't place. Like a beacon guiding her home. Then it hits her.

Connections!

Her heart is connected to other hearts, every person she meets, every relationship she forges, is a connection. The connections will, if she let's them, guide her. She doesn't have to fall into this darkness. She can let her connections guide her out. To someplace else. She just has to let it happen. She focuses as best as she can and the darkness around her seems to stir. As if it could sense that she was going to escape and was angry at the mere thought of that happening. Ava doesn't care, she takes a breath and stretches out her hand and just like that it appears.

Her Keyblade.

Light shines from it. From her! So bright that the darkness all around retreats under the bright light, drowning out the darkness for a moment as Ava feels herself begin. To. Fall. The falling is less terrifying than the floating in the darkness. White light consumes her vision as she falls and she just has to trust that she'll be allowed to land someplace safe. She has to trust in her connections to guide her back home once again.

She doesn't even realize she had fallen asleep until she opens her eyes, looking up into trees, back on the ground. She blinks, watching the twilight shine through the trees. Ava groans slightly, she's in a lot of pain, her whole body aches. It must have taken more out of her to summon her keyblade and escape that darkness than she realized. She lays motionless on the ground, staring up at the trees as the leaves move in the breeze.

'I should get up now,' she thinks to herself. Then her memories shift into place again and the gravity of what she remembered hits her like a ton of bricks right to her chest. A shaking sob bubbles out of her as her body begins to shake. Her breathing becomes erratic and hard to control as her tears flow freely down her face.

Oh gods.

She remembered.

Ava takes a gasping, shaky breath as she tries to wipe away her tears, only for even more tears to fall, clouding her vision and making her chest ache as she attempts to calm herself by breathing in slowly, only to choke on the breath, another sob breaking free. She hits the ground next to her, and that's when she notices her keyblade, sitting in the dirt by her hand, gleaming. It's like it was expecting her. She shivers at the thought. Slowly she moves her hand to curl around the handle of the keyblade. Still shaking from the sobs that had wracked through her body, she pushes herself upward using her keyblade as leverage. She focuses, turning her attention inward to her connections.

Cold horror grips her heart. So many of the connections she made on Destiny Islands were fading away. The hearts on the other side of the connection having been lost to darkness when the islands fell. She hesitantly checks on the connection with her fellow students. Most are intact but weakened, as if they were an immeasurably far distance from Ava. So not dead or lost to darkness but something else entirely.

Luxu's connection is different. Muddled as if something was interfering with it but much much closer than Ava would like. She quickly cuts off that connection, muddling it as best she can so she can't be tracked through it. The longer it takes Luxu to realize she's alive the better as far as she's concerned. If she's lucky he won't even pay attention to the connection and won't even think to check if she's alive. She wonders why he didn't try to find her. Then it occurs to her that perhaps he was unable to while she had no memories of who she was.

As fascinating of a theory that is, and as much as she would love to follow such a theory to its completion she has a son to find. She focuses again on her connections, this time on the one she has with her son.

Intact. Close by.

"Thank the gods," Ava mutters to herself, closing her eyes for a moment and letting out a sigh of relief. He was okay. She smiles slightly. She could go looking for Gula… And maybe the others as well if she was sure they wouldn't be a threat to her and Sora, after she found her son. She smiles slightly, pulling her keyblade up from in the ground and dismissing it back to wherever it was that keyblades went when they weren't being used by their owners.

She would need to get a few things before she would be able to just go off looking for him. As much as she wanted to just immediately go searching for him she had to get some kind of protection from the darkness lurking in the Lanes Between before she would be able to travel to other worlds. She knows that being safe would be better than being hasty. She learned that the hard way back when she was still a Foreteller.

It's odd, she never wanted to know her past and now that she did she wished even less to remember it. With the exception of Gula that is. She could never regret Gula and all that they were. She starts towards what she assumes is the town. Gula…

She remembers when they just met. The Master, he had brought Gula in from off the streets, at Ava's insistence that is. She smiles and laughs a bit at the memory of the scrawny, distrusting child who glared at her and the Master as she offered him some food and munny. She can still remember what he said to her.

"What's this, nothing around here comes free," he had snapped at her.

"Well," she had sassed him. "You can sit there and mope or you can take the food and hear us out."

The look on his face was priceless and Ava laughs aloud at the memory of it. She steps over some roots, careful not to trip. She drums her fingers against her leg, keeping an eye out for heartless as she continues her walk. She's not too far from the town now, but she has to find her way in once she's close. Seems to be a mostly enclosed little town.

But she knows there's always a way in if you set your mind to really finding it. She starts walking around, looking down at the ground for some way in. Her mind wanders even if she tries to stay on topic. She can't help it.

Another memory.

"Would you want to help me make a garden," Invi had asked.

Ava had stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Would you like to help me make a garden," Invi had repeated, laughing slightly. "You seem like someone who would enjoy gardening and it's always better to have company with things like this. Wouldn't you agree?"

Ava had nodded without really thinking about it. She didn't really understand what Invi had meant back then. She had been too young to really understand what Invi had meant back then. She thinks she at least mostly understands now. Doing things that took patience, like gardening was more fun when you had a friend to help, because the two of you could talk to pass the time. It was a great chance to bond, and years later Ava had unknowingly used a similar technique on Sora to get him to help her in their little garden.

Ava sighs, stopping to admire a flower as she knows it could take a while to get in this town. She can't help but wonder if Invi would like this flower. It's pretty and for a moment Ava lets herself get distracted by it. But only for a moment. She still had a son to find. She couldn't let herself get too distracted. Because who knows what danger Sora would manage to find himself in. Knowing herself and knowing his father... It was a good chance he had already found himself in danger. She would no doubt end up having to have a very long discussion on what to do when an army of darkness attacks and what to do after surviving said attack. She shivers for a moment.

"Almost sounds like something Father would do, but it was never just a discussion for him," she mutters to herself, the sound of her own voice slightly soothing after having nothing but her thoughts and memories since waking up in this Twilight soaked world. Something about this world was interesting, Ava just wasn't sure what it was. Ahead she spots her way in. Sewers. It's easy enough to make her way through the sewers and into town, and no one even questions her when she comes out of the sewer. Perfect. Now all she had to do was...

"Yes," she says aloud excitedly, drawing a few looks, she shrugs apologetically before turning her attention back to the moogle shop and synthesizer. One exchange of munny later and one synthesization later and Ava has exactly what she needs. Something to ward off the darkness of the Lanes between. She pulls the newly made cloak over her head.

"Just to travel in," she mutters to herself before finding a secluded spot to summon her glider and enter the lanes. She has a son to find after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm. This was a chapter that was more difficult to write then I was expecting. Not to worry it worked out in the end.


	4. Chapter Four

###  Chapter Four

Traverse Town, that's what this world was called, Ava looks about the dimly lite streets and frowns. She can already tell that Sora has left this world. He was here, no doubt about that, her connection to her son had led her right to this world. But... He was no longer here and she was not happy that she had somehow missed him. How was he traveling between worlds? Was he properly protected? Had he been swept away by some nefarious plot? She had no idea. But she was going to get to the bottom of it. That much was for sure. She sighs, walking along the dim streets.

There was no one out and about, not that she blamed them considering all the heartless around. So many heartless, all but the first District of this world was filled with the nasty little creatures. Ava took great joy in striking them down. They release the hearts they have stolen, and Ava always says a quick prayer so that the hearts may find their way safely back to Kingdom Hearts.

She was just finishing off another group of heartless when she sensed someone approaching, she twirls, spinning to face the young man with a scar across his face. She narrows her eyes, the cloak was safely tucked away for now, in a bag she had purchased at the Moogle Shop.

"That... It can't be The Keyblade," the young man questions.

"It's a Keyblade," Ava says. "There's more than one."

The man looks confused at this and stares her down. "How much do you know about them... Keyblades, heartless, all of it."

"A lot more than you'd think, but I'm not here to play hero if that's what you're thinking. I'm just a simple housewife looking for her son. His name is Sora, maybe you've seen him?"

"You're... Sora's mother," the man questions. "That boy. The one with the other Keyblade is your son?"

"He has a keyblade?!"

"...I thought you said you knew more than I'd think?" A slightly amused smile comes to the man's face. "Name's Leon."

"...Ava," she says, dismissing her keyblade and staring the man down with interest and irritation. "Where's Sora?"

"Gone off with the king's men, you just missed him. He's gone to stop the heartless, save the worlds, and find the king and his friends."

Ava's eyes narrow further, she takes a breath to contain herself. She has a number of issues with that statement. More than she could list in one sitting without risking further losing track of her son. Instead, she chooses to glare at Leon. "Ah, I see so it was decided a child was the best hope the worlds' would have? I see where the standards are. Regardless, I'm going to find my son."

"The Keyblade choose-"

"I know how Keyblades work," she snaps at him, rage building in her. "Do not lecture me about keyblades! I've been around keyblades before you were born. Do you know what being chosen as a keyblade wielder gets you? Death. For either yourself or your loved ones. It's not a game. This isn't him going off to play the hero. This is a matter of life and death. He's untrained and alone with a weapon so powerful it can change the fabric of space-time itself. Is that what you want? A fourteen-year-old with the power of a god in his hands going around without a clue how to use it thinking he's a hero? Do you know what that will get him? Dead or worse. But not on my watch. Not again."

Ava turns her back to Leon, pulling her cloak out and throwing it on.

"Wait! How do you know all that?"

"I lived it," Ava scoffs, summoning her keyblade. "And I won't stand for my son living it too."

She throws her keyblade into the air, summoning her glider and taking off. How was Sora moving around? Leon mentioned something about the king's men? She had no idea what that meant but she was not going to stand for other people dragging her son along and parading him as some hero. Heroes don't get happy endings. Sora deserved a better life than that. If there was something that needed a keyblade master than so be it, she'd take care of it. But she was not going to let her son end up... End up like her union kids.

Those memories come unbidden to the surface and she shivers as she navigates the lanes between. The heart-shaped moon high in the sky. The rain falling down onto the ground, the dry cracked ground of the Fated Land soaking up both the rain and the innocent blood that was being shed. The hearts, flying up all around her, returning to Kingdom Hearts.

She feels a pain growing in her heart. Her stomach flips. She feels as though she might be sick. All this death... All this destruction. For what reason. Why had it come to this? She wished she could turn back the hands of time, go back to when her keyblade meet Luxu's in that fated clash but... It was already too late for that. She presses a hand to her abdomen. She could not stay here to die. She could not allow the new light she was bringing into this world to be snuffed out before it even had a chance to shine. No. This light... It would survive.

'Like the seeds of the dandelion, let them fly away.'

She was carrying a seed of hope. One she would not let be crushed on this land where keyblades mark the site where their wielders had fallen at the hands of those who should have been friends now turned foe. The mad scramble for Lux. Hoarding light in the way they had done. It was all leading to this. They had changed nothing! Just paved the way for the very thing they were trying to stop! She shivers in the rain, but was it due to the rain or the truth of those thoughts? Ava did not know. Closing her eyes she casts the spell. Replacing herself on the battlefield with an illusion and... Like a coward. A greedy coward who simply wished to live... She fled.

Ava shakes herself out of the memory. She could not allow the same fate to befall her son as so many who came before him. She would not stand for such a thing. Even if a nagging feeling in the back of her mind asks if perhaps once again, in trying to change fate she would only lead to the inevitable. Would she really be able to stop whatever was to come for her son? The innocent light that she had brought into this world?

Was he even innocent? With the blood of countless other children on the hands of his mother and father? Had that sin tainted him as well? Would he be forced to suffer time and again because of the mistakes others had made?

She didn't know the answer to those questions and that scared her more than anything else. How was she to do anything if she was constantly being held back by the fear that it might just lead into a fate she wished to avoid? She knew... Knew well that trying to avoid fate will just cause it to happen. Yet still... She struggled against it. Like pushing a boulder up a hill and wondering in shock why it fell back down. She was trapped in an endless cycle it seemed. Doomed to constantly repeat her mistakes. But what was she to do? Sit back and wait for her son to share in the fate so many before him had? Keyblades were not blessings. They were curses.

She sighs, landing on the new worlds and looking about. A coliseum? How odd... Still, she was here. She might as well ask around and see if her son had been seen... She sighs, closing her eyes and walking in. She spots the satyr and blinks. She wasn't surprised per-say she just hadn't expected to meet.

"Excuse me," she says softly.

He turns, looking her over. "Let me guess. You wanna sign up for the games! Well, you've come to the right place! Let's get you all signed up and-"

"What? No, I'm sorry there's clearly been a mistake I'm looking for my son, not to play some game!"

"Are ya sure? These here are the famous Olympus Coliseum games! Every hero worth their salt signs up for the games at some point!"

"I am serious," she scowls. "And I'm no hero!"

"Miss, not to be rude but how can ya not be! Ya got hero written all over ya! I've got two words for you: Join. The. Games!"

Ava sighs, she doesn't bother pointing out that his statement was more than two words, she feels doing so would be like talking to a brick wall. Useless. She sighs, seeing she clearly wasn't going to get any information out of him without joining these ridiculous games. With a resigned sigh, she levels a tired look at Phil.

"Fine, I'll join the games but in return, you must tell me if you meet a young boy, blue eyes, brown hair, his name is Sora, and he's my son. I'm trying to find him."

"As if there were a more heroic quest than that! I'll keep ya updated on if I see him," Phil agrees.

Ava holds herself back from rolling her eyes at that statement. She wasn't being heroic, she was being selfish, and she selfishly wanted her son back as soon as possible. Who in their right mind would assume she was a hero? Well... Then again she could not safely say that the satyr was in his right mind! For all, she knew he could be insane. She was not going to be sticking around here very long if she could help it...

"Alright! You're all signed up for the Games! Why don't you head in?"

Ava resists the urge to groan. She would do what she had to do, but she was not pleased about it. Entering the coliseum she readies her keyblade. Unsurprisingly her opponents are heartless. She narrows her eyes at them. At the very least she'd hopefully be able to collect some munny and equipment from them. She could handle heartless, they were nothing to be concerned about as far as Ava was concerned.

The heartless swarm and she dodges out of the way of their attacks, they aren't even particularly high powered heartless. This? This was child's play for Ava, who could fell them with a swipe of her keyblade if she was feeling so inclined. But she wasn't feeling inclined to do so. In fact, she wanted to seem to be the least effective fighter there was so she could get out of there as quickly as possible. With narrowed eyes and a few quick and effective hits from her keyblade the heartless were wiped out. Good. She didn't want to be doing this in the first place. Let alone having to take time out of her busy search for her child to actually bother putting in the effort.

"See! I knew it," Phil praises as she steps back out. "You're as much as a hero as I thought you were!"

Ava isn't sure how she manages to hold in her groan.

"Yes, well I really do have to be moving on I have to find my son, you see and-"

"Nonsense! You still have more rounds to compete in! These are just the qualifiers! Beat these and you'll be moving up the ranks to the quarterfinals!"

Ava wanted to scream. What part of she did not want to be a part of this tournament did this satyr not understand? Did she need to say it in goat? She didn't speak goat but she'd gladly break her own rule about Luxu and get him to translate for her if it meant being left alone!

"Fine, fine I will be in your games but you'd better keep your end of the deal. If you see my son you tell him I'm looking for him and you tell me as soon as you see me, understand," Ava hisses.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch! I keep my promises, now! Go out there and show us what you got!"

Ava was going to commit a murder, she was sure of it, that was what was going to happen here. She was going to break the peace of the worlds just to kill a pushy satyr. How rude! She couldn't believe how rude this goat was! Even Luxu wasn't this bad and Ava was pretty sure he existed just to get under her skin half the time. Ah, but that was the joy of having siblings. Joy or curse, depending on who you were asking about the matter. In Ava's opinion, it was a bit of both! A real mixed bag of if it was a good thing or a bad thing. It depended on the day and what Luxu had done to irritate her most recently.

Considering the last thing Luxu and Ava had done was cause a war... Ava was leaning more towards that having siblings is a curse. All the same, he was still her brother even if she was tempted to beat him with her keyblade at first sight of him.

She sighs and readies herself again for battle. With quick and precise movements she takes out the heartless, once as always saying a quick prayer for the hearts that are released, so they may find their way safely to the true kingdom hearts without interference. That was all she could do for them. Assure they found their way home now that they were no longer apart of their being. She sighs deeply. This was not fun. Perhaps she would have thought it fun years ago before she had Sora... When it was just her and Gula and the others training under the Master.

Yes. That version of her, a version of her than no longer existed... She would have loved this. That's how she knows her son would also love this. Which is why she was so insistent that Phil keeps an eye out for him. He would be drawn to the games like a moth to a flame. Desperate to prove himself. She understood where that thirst came from. That want to be more than he was. But that thirst had long left Ava. She was content now. With her son and her islands... The islands... Was there any way to restore them? Were there any other survivors? Leon had only mentioned Sora, not Kairi or Riku! Were the other two children alright? She promised their parents that if anything happened to them she would look out for the children.

Her goal was not only her son, but Kairi and Riku as well. They were as much her responsibility as Sora was and she would not leave them to suffer, lost, and alone somewhere. No. No. No more children under her care would be lost to darkness if she could help it! She had to save them! Find them before something horrible happened. She was worried. So, so worried. Was Sora doomed to be a keyblade wielder because of her and his father? Did it run in his blood? So many questions and no clear answers in sight! She needed answers, had to get them!

"Great job!"

Phil's voice snaps her out of her daze. She looks about, all the heartless... They're gone and she's already won the match. She needs to keep her head in the fights. Not all heartless would be as easy to deal with as these. She had to remember that. Heartless could be dangerous, even to someone as skilled as her... So what chance did her son have? Was he safe? She couldn't be sure. She did not know or trust these 'King's Men' Leon had mentioned. She groans and shakes her head as Phil leads her out of the coliseum once more.

Far, far away on another world, those who were working against the light gather, an image of Ava appearing in the middle of the table they have gathered around.

"So... They boy's mother also has a keyblade, perhaps that's where the boy inherited the power from," one says, his voice filled with intrigue at the idea.

"We cannot know for sure," Maleficent, the leader of the dark group, says, eyes narrowed in displeasure at this turn of events. The boy could be used. He was young and did not know what he was getting himself into. But his Mother... She carried herself with the same concentrated grace and power as a true Keyblade Master, the likes of which Maleficent had not seen for ten long years. Yes, she still remembered her defeat at the hands of those three. Those idiotic three who had dared challenge her! The Mistress of All Evil! Unlike the boy this woman, his mother was a true threat. A threat that needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible. After all... Maleficent couldn't have yet another keyblade wielder running around. Not when this one was so clearly skilled and aware enough of what the heartless could do. No. She would not let herself be defeated by another keyblade master. Not after ten years of waiting, planning, and plotting that had thus far gotten her to this point. The seven princesses close at hand.

"Regardless... She's not someone to be trifled with. We must eliminate her before she becomes a true pain in our side. The mission to find her son will not distract her forever. If she manages to find him and teach him the secrets he does not know... Then all our plans would be for naught! She's to be... Eliminated," Maleficent smiles at those words. Yes, the woman would be taken out of the equation. Once and for all.

**Author's Note:**

> I have no excuse for this except that I love Ava and I love Sora and I love this AU. If you follow me on Tumblr you know this has been in the works for a while. I've had this first chapter done for a long time and only now felt like putting it up. Please enjoy.


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